PS4-XBOX 720

PlayStation 3 proved to be an costly venture for Sony, and a new report that has surfaced claims Sony cannot miss on this next iteration of PlayStation if they hope to continue funding the console.

According to a report from Spectrum today, Sony has wowed gaming fans with their impressive technology in the past, but now they need to refocus the features of what the PlayStation 4 will have if they hope to survive.

"Sony, which has the most at stake here and has watched its once leading PlayStation franchise lose ground in recent years.

"Sony used to dazzle with its technological daring, but it has been more than six years since it introduced the PlayStation 3, and the company now finds itself in a fundamentally altered gaming universe, in which technological dazzle isn’t nearly as important as it used to be.

"So there’s more than the usual curiosity about Sony’s long-awaited next flagship console, the PlayStation 4, which many insiders and analysts expect will be introduced later this year," the report stated.

It went on to talk about the change that has occurred in the industry since the PlayStation 3 was introduced.

"Plenty has changed since the PS3’s release. With the rise of Facebook and smartphones, the buzzwords in the industry have changed from 'eye candy' and 'AI' to 'social' and 'mobile.'

"Hits like 'FarmVille' and 'Angry Birds' proved that being accessible, communal, and of course, fun is enough to win over both players and developers.

"It’s a distinct possibility that Sony will abandon the Cell in the PS4. And if it does, not everybody will be sorry to see it go," the report stated.

Finally, the feature discussed some of the changes that have been visible from Sony this past year that point to where they could be headed with their next-generation development.

"Sony has already begun pursuing a more social and interactive strategy. In July, the company paid a reported $380 million to acquire Gaikai, a cloud-based gaming service in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

"In addition to allowing video-game publishers to conveniently stream demos to players, Gaikai could let Sony deliver content to other devices, such as the PlayStation Vita, the handheld game system released in December 2011," the report stated.
A detailed comparison has been revealed on Jan. 11 in regards to the rumored specs of the PS4 and Xbox 720. According to the NeoGAF forum, the PS4, which has a nickname of Orbis, has a higher clock in addition to faster RAM. On the other hand, the Xbox 720, code-named the Durango, features more CPU cores and more RAM. Overall, they seemed pretty close in terms of power if the rumored specs are correct. You can check out some concept designs of both consoles in the slideshow at the top of this article and the comparison below (courtesy of the NeoGAF forum):

PS4 "Orbis"

AMD x86 3.2GHz APU Solution (Jaguar/Steamroller), 4 cores (2 core pairs), [Higher Clock than X720/Durango]
Maybe AMD 8000 series GPU solution [Customised Solution Possibly utilizing GPU + APU combo]
2-4GB GDDR5
Launch Fall 2013/Early 2014
Explanation: PS4 has a higher clock, but less cores and is using an APU solution (CPU & GPU elements combined onto a single chip). The PS4 has less RAM but is using faster GDDR ram, so the overall performance should be a wash.

Xbox 720 "Durango"

AMD x86 Jaguar 1.6GHZ 8-Core [Targeting one core being dedicated for OS tasks]
AMD 8000 series GPU
ESRAM on the GPU (unknown amount)
8GB Ram DDR3, [1.5GB of RAM likely reserved for the operating system]
Launch 2013
Explanation: 720 has a lower clock, but more cores. 720 has more but SLOWER RAM. DDR3 RAM is usually good for things like multitasking etc....It is expected to be based on Windows 8 as well.
The PS4 is anticipated to come out later this year or in early 2014 while the Xbox 720 is projected to launch in 2013 for the North American regions. Sony and Microsoft are both expected to make formal announcements in regards to their next-generation plans in the next couple of months.


Conflicting reports from developer sources may reveal next-gen console specs.

With reported E3 2013 announcements and holiday season releases, rumors about the successors to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have been flying fast and loose for months. The latest report comes from VG247, which claims that it learned of some next-gen technical information from "developer sources" after CES. According to the sources, the PS4, also supposedly codenamed Orbis, will have a run-capability of 1.84 teraflops, while the Durango, also referred to unofficially as the Xbox 720, will be capable of 1.23 teraflops. If true, this means that the PS4 will have a 50% "raw, computational power advantage" over Microsoft's next console.

The PS4 won't have every technical advantage, however; the sources state that Sony's next-gen console will have 4GB RAM, of which 3GB will be used for games. On the other hand, the Xbox 720 will feature 8GB RAM, with 4-5GB reserved for gaming. Both consoles will be able to read 100GB Blu-rays discs.

This isn't the first time VG247 has leaked rumors about the unannounced next-gen consoles; the site previously reported that the PS4 would be based on AMD's A10 APU and would be "very affordable." If even half of the rumors about these consoles are true, they're the worst-kept secrets in the gaming industry. Stay tuned for more rumors as we get closer and closer to the supposed announcements of the Durango and Orbis.

Update: Then again, Now Gamer is reporting that the Xbox 720 will be more powerful than the PS4, so you can choose which rumors to believe based on your console preference. Or, just make up your own specs, but choose carefully; as we all know, the console war is always won by the system that's most technically powerful.

The last we heard, the PS4 could be with us as early as March. Now a Sony exec has hinted a May launch could be more likely.

Sony's vice president of home entertainment Hiroshi Sakamoto said the next-gen console could touch down a month before E3.

Asked if the console would be launched in the next few months, Sakamoto said, "That's still a big secret, but our friends are preparing Sony PlayStation.
I can only say that we are focussed on the E3 gaming event, scheduled for June. announcement may be in that minute or even earlier in May."
Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT) are both expected to announce their next-generation gaming consoles at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in June, or even a little before then.

Samsung displays new screen

Samsung Displays have started whetting our appetites this week for flexible smartphone screen technology announcing that they will be showcasing their new 5.5 inch phone screen at CES next month.
Samsung Display will be exhibiting and demonstrating a pair of bendable screens at CES that could one day appear in a radically new smartphone or TV design, according to company representatives.



The flexible smartphone 5.5-inch flexible screen sports a resolution of 1,280 x 720 and a 267 pixel density, and will be accompanied with a 55-inch television screen.
“Samsung has been developing curving screens for some time, showing off smaller display demos, like the 4.5-inch WVGA screen with about a 200 pixel density that CNET saw at CES 2011. With this demo’s increased resolution and screen size, Samsung is clearly keeping pace with today’s smartphone expectations.”

Unfortunately no information on pricing or worldwide availability has been released as yet, but as soon as information comes to light we will keep you updated as always.

Panasonic unveils world's largest OLED TV

LAS VEGAS: Panasonic, in a display of technological one-upmanship with its South Korean rivals, unveiled a prototype of the world's largest OLED screen.

The half-inch thick, 56-inch television, based on organic light-emitting diode technology, is a mere inch bigger than ones offered up by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics a year ago in Las Vegas. The technology in theory allows for thinner screens that consume less power.

Japan's Sony Corp, which is cooperating with Panasonic in OLED technology, on Monday unwrapped its own 56-inch ultra high-definition model.

Sony on Monday also said it will widen its range of ultra high-definition LCD sets to three this year, as it stakes out its territory in next-generation TVs.

LG, which has started to take orders for its thin OLED screens, plans sales in the United States of a $12,000, 55-inch model beginning in March, making it the first company to commercialize the new technology.

Nonetheless, Kazuhiro Tsuga, the president of Panasonic, told industry executives and reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that "Many people think of Panasonic as a television manufacturing company. In fact, for nearly 100 years we have been making a vast range of products."

Tsuga said that Panasonic will focus on selling products like batteries for cars, in-flight entertainment systems, hydrogen cells, solar panels and LED lighting to businesses, while boosting its appliance unit and reducing its exposure to the hyper-competitive consumer electronics arena.

"Panasonic's future is being built on far more than a single product category," Tsuga said.

Panasonic and Japan's two other big TV makers, Sony and Sharp, have been hammered in conventional LCD screens by competition from Korean rivals led by Samsung.

Japan's share of the world's flat panel TV market this year likely contracted to 31 per cent from 41 per cent in 2010, according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.

Tsuga has also vowed to deliver the details of a revival plan by the end of March. So far, he has said that businesses that fail to achieve a 5 percent operating margin within two years will be shuttered or sold.

Sales of its weakest units may start next business year.

Panasonic is forecasting a net loss of $8.9 billion in the year to March 31.

ZTE unveils world's thinnest full-HD phone Grand S

ZTE has unveiled what it claims is the world's thinnest full-HD smartphone, ZTE Grand S, at the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The 5-inch smartphone is only 6.9mm thick and is 69mm wide and 142mm tall.

ZTE Grand S runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.7GHz quadcore CPU. The full-HD smartphone with 1,920 x 1,080p display offers 2GB of RAM and comes with 16GB of internal storage. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).

There is a 2 megapixel camera on the front and a 13-megapixel auto-focus camera at the back capable of shooting 1080p video. The battery is 1780 mAh.

ZTE Grand S is expected to hit stores in China in the first quarter of 2013, however, the company has not revealed the roadmap for its launch in other countries.

ZTE has also not disclosed the price of the smartphone.



Key specs:
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.7GHz quad-core CPU
Operating System: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Camera: 13 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front
Display: 5 inch full-HD screen
Storage: 16GB internal storage
Battery: 1780 mAh

Apple working on cheaper iPhone: Report

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple is working on a cheaper version of its popular iPhone that could be released this year, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The device could resemble the existing iPhone, but might use less expensive materials, such as a shell made of polycarbonate plastic, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources.

Apple could decide not to move forward with the lower-end iPhone, the report noted.

The product would represent the first time Apple has diversified its line of smartphones with significantly different models since launching the original iPhone in 2007. The company faces pressure from rival smartphone-makers such as Samsung Electronics whose products use Google's

Android operating system. Apple declined to comment on the report. Shares of Apple, which closed Tuesday's regular trading session at $525.31, are down 25.5 per cent from their 52-week high of $705.07 in September.

Iphone 6?ios 7

The first signs of iOS 7 and the iPhone 6 have been popping up in app usage logs, according to The Next Web, who received word from unnamed developers. According to the sources, hardware is currently being tested by Apple showing an iPhone6,1 identifier, similar to the iPhone 5′s iPhone5,1 identifier. The device in question runs iOS 7.




The sources provided some developer logs, which show, among other things, an IP address from the Cupertino campus for app requests, indicating that the Apple posse is testing currently available apps for compatibility. Aside from these slivers of information from the usage logs, sources have stated that Apple will complete iOS 7′s features in the near future.

Back when developers first began seeing traces of iOS 6, it was unveiled at WWDC in June soon after. If the same pattern holds for iOS 7, we’ll likely get a look at it come the conference this summer, nearly exactly half a year from now.

Of course, there’s no proof that the supplied usage logs aren’t tweaked with fake info. Keep in mind that the information comes from potentially unreliable sources, and that nothing official has been confirmed. The Next Web states that it believes the logs are legitimate because of the IP, but until something more legitimate comes our ways, take it with a grain of salt.